Apparatus and methods for imparting grouted edge appearance to floor coverings modules during installation

ABSTRACT

Device for imparting a “grouted edge” appearance to the face of a floor covering during the installation process. A hot air gun is mounted on a carriage that rests on the face of a field-cut flooring module or tile. The carriage is moved across the face of the module while a guide or guides attached to the carriage and contacting an edge of the tile maintain the lateral position of the hot air gun adjacent to the module edge so that a “grouted edge” appearance is produced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/177,231, filed Jan. 20, 2001, entitled “HandApparatus for Imparting Grouted Edge Appearance to Tile FaceFloorcoverings,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to the manufacture and installation offlooring, particular including modular textile face flooring such asflooring modules having a woven, tufted, fusion bonded or other textilefiber face, and to the treatment of such flooring to alter theappearance of portions of the flooring face, such as to impart theappearance of “grout” lines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Modular floor covering having a textile face layer, such asconventional carpet tile and the floor covering described in PatentCooperation Treaty Patent Application No. PCT/US98/21487 entitled “FloorCovering with Woven Face,” can be manufactured with a treatment at theedge of the modules that results, upon installation, in floor coveringthat appear to have “grout lines” between adjacent modules. Techniquesfor accomplishing such appearance during manufacture are disclosed inU.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/130,795 entitled “ModularFloor Covering Edge Treatment” and 60/148,043 entitled “Modular FloorCovering Edge Treatment and Machine and Method for Making Same,” andPatent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No. PCT/US00/01717 entitled“Modular Floor Covering Edge Treatment,” all of which applications areincorporated herein by this reference. Because of the need to cut floorcovering modules to shapes required to conform to the floors where suchmodules are installed, and the need to cut the floor covering in rollgoods or in broadloom installations, it is desirable to be able toimpart such a grouted edge treatment to floor covering in the fieldduring installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention makes it possible to impart a “grouted edge”appearance to the face of a floor covering in the field duringinstallation of the floor covering. An energy source for producerelatively focused energy, which can be a heat source such as a hot airgun, is mounted on a carriage. If a hot air gun is used, air gun isdelivered through a tip shaped to heat a peripheral portion of the floorcovering. Rollers on a lower portion of the carriage provide alignmentand control for directing the heat or other energy to the desiredportion of the floor covering while moving the carriage relative to thefloor covering.

[0005] Utilizing this invention to install floor covering modules with a“grouted edge” appearance, installers install both full size modulesmanufactured with such an appearance and portions of such modules fieldcut to sizes necessary for a particular installation. After cuttingmodules to fit, this invention is used at the installation site to treatthe module faces adjacent to the field-cut edges to match the “groutededge” appearance of the manufactured edges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a hand apparatus including ahot air gun for imparting a grouted edge appearance to floor coverings.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showingthe tip of the hot air gun treating a floor covering.

[0008]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an arm, roller, guide roller,base plate and hot air gun of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a stanchion, fasteners, andhandle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 5 is a rear elevation schematic view of the apparatus of FIG.1.

[0011]FIG. 6 is a top elevation schematic view of the base plate, armsand handle of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] As is depicted in the accompanying figures, this invention is anapparatus 8 for mounting a hot air gun 22, such as, for example, aLeister Hot Air Welder model number 1G3, available from Heely BrownCompany, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., United States of America. The hot airemerges from a tip 24 having an orientation making it possible toposition the tip 24 above a floor covering module immediately adjacentto the module edge. A base plate 10 rests on top of the face of floorcovering 12 to be treated on rollers 14 that contact the floor covering12 and thereby provide first reference structure for maintaining aselected height of the heat gun above the floor covering face. Secondreference structure for maintaining a selected relationship between theheat gun and the edge of the floor covering 12 is provided by guides inthe form of two arms 16 that are adjustably mounted to projecthorizontally from base plate 10 by an amount that can be adjusted. Eacharm 16 terminates in a leg 18 projecting down, which in turn terminatesin a bearing such as a guide roller 20 that bears against the edge offloor covering 12 being treated. The guide rollers 20 working incooperation with the rollers 14 provide control and stability so that anoperator can efficiently impart hot air to the floor covering 12 in apredetermined area, such as a narrow portion or strip of the face of thefloor covering adjacent to the edge of the flooring covering.

[0013] The hot air gun 22 is adjustably mounted on base plate 10 in amanner that positions the tip 24 of hot air gun 22 immediately abovefloor covering 12 and adjacent to the edge 26 of floor covering 12. Sucha mounting can utilize a sloping gusset or carriage 28 bolted tostanchion 30 with adjustable fasteners 32 permitting adjustment in theheight of hot air gun 22 above floor covering 12. A handle 34 affixed tostanchion 30 can be useful in operating this apparatus. A heater bracket36 adjustably attaches the hot air gun 22 to the stanchion 30.

[0014] Operation is accomplished by positioning the guide roller 20against the edge 26 of floor covering 12 so that tip 24 of gun 22 isimmediately above the surface of floor covering 12 to be treated. Then,with hot air gun 22 on, the apparatus is moved along the edge 26 at arate resulting in the desired treatment of floor covering edge 26.

[0015] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, numerousvariations in the details of the apparatus of this invention and its usecan be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionand the following claims. For instance, other heat sources could be usedinstead of the hot air gun described as part of the illustrativeembodiment of the invention described above and illustrated in theFigures. Some of such potentially usable energy sources are described inPatent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/US00/01717 mentioned aboveand incorporated herein by reference. For instance, a heated tip ofmetal or other appropriate material could be brought in contact with thefloor covering, or a source of energy in another form could be used,such as a laser or a ultrasonic device. Apparatus that deposits materialon the floor covering, such as hot melt compositions or dyes or othercolorants, could also be combined with or substituted for the hot airgun or other energy source, so that such compositions or colorantsprovide or contribute to the alteration in the appearance of portions ofthe floor covering achieved by use of this invention. Similarly,numerous variations in the configuration of the structure are possible,such as substitution of other structures for the rollers and bearings,or omission of the rollers or bearings and use of structure that simplyslides on or against the floor covering, among many other possibilities.Among other structural variations, horizontal adjustment of the positionof the hot air gun relative to the edge of the floor covering could beachieved in a structure having fixed rather than adjustable arms but inwhich the position of the hot air gun is adjustable horizontally.

1. Apparatus for treating floor covering, comprising: (a) an energysource, and (b) structure for supporting the energy source andcontacting the floor covering while moving the energy source and floorcovering relative to each other in a predetermined relationship duringtreatment of the floor covering with the energy source.
 2. Apparatus foruse during installation of floor covering for treating a portion of aface of the floor covering proximate an edge of the floor covering tochange the appearance of the floor covering in the treated portion, theapparatus comprising: (a) a heat source, (b) structure on which the heatsource is mounted for maintaining a desired relationship between theheat source and the floor covering during treatment of the floorcovering.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the heat source is a hotair gun.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the mounting structurecomprises a frame to which the heat source is attached and at least oneguide for contact with an edge of the floor covering.
 5. The apparatusof claim 4 , wherein the mounting structure further comprises at leastone roller for contact with the face of the floor covering.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 , wherein the guide further comprises at least onerotating member.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the guidecomprises two arms projecting from the frame on opposite sides of theheat source, and the at least one rotating member comprises two rotatingmembers, one of which is attached to each of the two arms.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 4 , wherein the frame is adjustable to vary theposition of the heat source relative to the floor covering.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 4 , wherein the frame further comprises a heat sourceholder to which the heat source is attached and a frame stanchion towhich the heat source holder is adjustable attached so that the holdercan be positioned in a plurality of distances from the floor covering.10. Apparatus for treating a portion of a face of floor coveringproximate an edge of the floor covering to change the appearance of thefloor covering in the treated portion by heating, the apparatuscomprising: (a) a base, (b) a plurality of rollers attached to the basefor contact with the face of the floor covering during use of theapparatus, (c) two guide arms attached to the base and two guidebearings for contact with an edge of the floor covering during use ofthe apparatus, one of which guide bearings is attached to each guidearm, and (d) a hot air gun attached to a hot air gun mount adjustablyattached to the base so that the distance of the hot air gun from theface of the floor covering during use of the apparatus may be adjusted.11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the guide bearings are guiderollers.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the positions of theguide bearings relative to the base are adjustable so that the positionof the hot air gun relative to the edge of the floor covering during useof the apparatus is adjustable.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 , whereinthe projection of the arms from the base is adjustable.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of rollers comprises tworollers.
 15. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising at least onehandle attached to the structure for manipulating the apparatus duringuse.
 16. A method for changing the appearance of a portion of the faceof floor covering during installation of the floor covering, comprising:(a) positioning a hot air gun mounted on a carriage proximate an edge ofthe floor covering, (b) with the hot air gun on, moving the hot air gunacross the face of the floor covering along the edge to heat the portionof the face of the floor covering adjacent to the edge to change theappearance of the portion while maintaining contact between firstreference structure of the carriage and the face of the floor coveringand between second reference structure of the carriage and the edge ofthe floor covering.
 17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the firstreference structure comprises a plurality of rollers.
 18. The method ofclaim 16 , wherein the second reference structure comprises rotatablebearings.
 19. A method of installing, on a building floor, floorcovering modules having a “grouted edge” appearance, comprising: (a)installing on the building floor modules that can be positioned thereonwithout cutting the modules, (b) cutting modules to sizes necessary tocomplete covering of the building floor after installation of the un-cutmodules, and (c) positioning a hot air gun mounted on a carriageproximate an edge of each cut module where a “grouted edge” appearanceis desired, and, with the hot air gun on, moving the hot air gun acrossthe face of the floor covering module along the edge to heat the portionof the face of the floor covering adjacent to the edge to change theappearance of the portion while maintaining contact between firstreference structure of the carriage and the face of the floor coveringand between second reference structure of the carriage and the edge ofthe floor covering.
 20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising: (d)installing each field-cut module on the building floor in the positionfor which such module was cut.